Capital One Arena
Washington, DC

Natalya def. Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch, the fiery phenom of WWE’s Women’s division, fell short against her rival Natalya at WWE Battleground, leaving The Irish Lass Kicker to suffer her second consecutive pay-per-view punishment at the hands of the former Divas Champion after Natalya’s betrayal at WWE Money in the Bank kick-started their rivalry last month.

Since her fateful about-face, Natalya has embraced a new me-first mantra that paid dividends almost instantly, while Becky has been forced to find her way as a solo Superstar after being betrayed by every WWE partner she has had. That led Maiden Ireland to hit the ground running against her fellow SmackDown Live draftee, but Natalya was wise to her plan, and fled the ring every time Becky got a few punches in on her.

Natalya’s continuous exits meant Becky never got any momentum going, but her frustration did mount, and with it a degree of sloppiness. Natalya was quick to capitalize, trapping Lynch’s leg in the apron and hammering it with fists, softening the Irish Superstar’s leg up early for the inevitable Sharpshooter. Lynch’s evening quickly turned into a nightmarish succession of submissions, each designed to both weaken Becky’s strength and display Natalya’s dominance over the upstart Superstar.

Becky Lynch takes on Natalya in a highly-competitive bout: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

Becky, as the WWE Universe knows, is too good to go quietly, and she did manage to mount a flurry of offense after an enziguiri gave The Irish Lass Kicker a degree of separation. Not only did she power out of a Sharpshooter, but she also executed a missile dropkick off the top rope to send The Queen of Harts scrambling into the corner.

Again, Becky’s aggression boiled over and her awareness went quickly with it: While the referee attempted to act as a human barrier between the overaggressive Becky and the cowering Natalya, The Queen of Harts delivered one final kick to her opponent’s leg and locked in another Sharpshooter to finally force Becky to submit. If there’s one thing to be taken away here, it’s that Becky Lynch’s resolve and heart cannot be denied. However, in Washington D.C., heart didn’t have the final word. Hart did.

Becky Lynch, the fiery phenom of WWE’s Women’s division, fell short against her rival Natalya at WWE Battleground, leaving The Irish Lass Kicker to suffer her second consecutive pay-per-view punishment at the hands of the former Divas Champion after Natalya’s betrayal at WWE Money in the Bank kick-started their rivalry last month.

Since her fateful about-face, Natalya has embraced a new me-first mantra that paid dividends almost instantly, while Becky has been forced to find her way as a solo Superstar after being betrayed by every WWE partner she has had. That led Maiden Ireland to hit the ground running against her fellow SmackDown Live draftee, but Natalya was wise to her plan, and fled the ring every time Becky got a few punches in on her.

Natalya’s continuous exits meant Becky never got any momentum going, but her frustration did mount, and with it a degree of sloppiness. Natalya was quick to capitalize, trapping Lynch’s leg in the apron and hammering it with fists, softening the Irish Superstar’s leg up early for the inevitable Sharpshooter. Lynch’s evening quickly turned into a nightmarish succession of submissions, each designed to both weaken Becky’s strength and display Natalya’s dominance over the upstart Superstar.

Becky Lynch takes on Natalya in a highly-competitive bout: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

Becky, as the WWE Universe knows, is too good to go quietly, and she did manage to mount a flurry of offense after an enziguiri gave The Irish Lass Kicker a degree of separation. Not only did she power out of a Sharpshooter, but she also executed a missile dropkick off the top rope to send The Queen of Harts scrambling into the corner.

Again, Becky’s aggression boiled over and her awareness went quickly with it: While the referee attempted to act as a human barrier between the overaggressive Becky and the cowering Natalya, The Queen of Harts delivered one final kick to her opponent’s leg and locked in another Sharpshooter to finally force Becky to submit. If there’s one thing to be taken away here, it’s that Becky Lynch’s resolve and heart cannot be denied. However, in Washington D.C., heart didn’t have the final word. Hart did.